Game ball



March 2351937. C H. RICKEY 42,074,808

GAMEBALL Fild Feb. V9. 1935 Patented Mar. 11931 UNITED STATES PATIENT OFFICE ?o'utiwsv einem n, mem, mma, ouin", am

yThe Crawford, McGregor and Canby Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio v Application February' s, 193s,v serali No. am

11 claims. (ci. 154-10 Y the specification.` ,the invention consists ot the I This invention relates to game balls and the method of manufacture thereof and more particularly toa ball having an improved high tension core. It has long been the practice to provide a body of liquid as the center or core for golf balls about which successive thread wrappings are disposed and the wound body enclosed in a'rubber cover. Various liquids have been successfully employed for corevpurposes, including glue solution, a liquid 'lead solution, salt solutionl and, more recently, a body of honey. It is customary to solidify and contract such core by freezing while the body of the ball is being wound thereon. It is highly desirable that the windings be under relatively high tension. There is-a limit to the tension to which the thread or yarnl may be subjected while winding the ball without causing breakage.

By the present commotion and method of` 20 manufacture, nal tension or compression of the` .windings is ymaterially increasedI without subjecting the thread to breaking strain during the winding operation. This is effected by introducing into the liquid corebody a gaseous substance which vby its evaporation and expansion under'normal temperatures and playing conditions subjects the ball to internal pressure.

The object of the invention is to improve the construction of golf balls as well as the mode of manufacture thereof whereby they may not only be economically manufactured but will be more eiiicient and desirable in play and unlikely to be injured.- y

A further and' highly important object of the invention is to provide a golf 'ball or the like having increased distance when struclnuniform-fy ity of click, and greater durability.

A further object of the invention is to provide `a golf ball or the like of increased hardness, higher compression and greater resiliency.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for creating an internal expansive pressure within' the ball.

YA. further object ofthe invention is to increase 45 the inherent tension or compression of the ball without increasing the winding tension upon the thread or'yarn to such degree as to 'endanger breakage during manufacture.

A further object. of the invention' is to provide means for taking upy slack within the winding thereby causingl the ball to be filled out into a uniform spherical shape.

A further object is to provide/'a golf ball which will be highly responsive, accurate in flight and affording maximum distance.

A further. object of the invention is to provide a golf ball having the meritorious features and desirable characteristics herein mentioned.

With the above primary and other incidental objects in view, as will more 4fully appear in features of construction, the parts and combinations threof, and the mode of operation, or their equivalents, as hereinafter described and set forth in the claims. .The drawing is asectlonal view of a golf ball embodying the'present invention.

" In the manufacture of golf balls at the present time the vcenter core usually comprises asoft rubber spherical hollow envelope l tllled with a suitable liquid 2. Such liquid may be any one of numerous substances, of which liquid glue, lead lsolution, sait solution and honey are examples.

The hollow' rubber ballor `envelope I is nlled with such liquid by usesef a needle syringe introduced through the wall of the envelope. The

- envelbpe or rubber ballis also provided with a second small hole for venting the air as the liquid is introduced. 'Ihese openings are then sealed by an adherent rubber patch, la. In

vthe present instance the liquid introduced into of ordinary character, a quantity of solidified uns( 35 carbon dioxide the sizeof a pee. is ample sufdcient to materially improve the. resilienc and playing 4qualities of the ball. The gaseous substance being sealed within the ballpermeatcs the liquid and expands, thereby increasing` they tension.

The core body illled with a combined liquid and gaseous substance is frozen vat a relatively low temperature to contract and solidify the core .preparatory'to winding. The filled' cores are subjected to freezing temperatures as low as forty to 'sixty degrees below' zero Fahrenheit, causing contraction of as muchas one thirtyf second of an inch or more. While in such solidi- 'iledA and contracted condition the winding! is .the winding is eieeted with as much tension as the winding thread can reasonably withstand and after the completion of the ball by the application of the cover '4, the subsequent expansion of the core liquid andthe evaporation of the entrained gaseous material creates an increased internal expansive pressure, thereby materially increasing the tension of the windings, and rendering the ball of harder character than can be effected by tensioned winding alone. 'Ihe gaseous material, 5 being quite mobile,v equalizes the expansive tension and insures a spherical ball.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in its application to golf balls, it is to be understood that it may be applied to other types of game balls. It is recognized that here- Y tofore it has been many times proposed that a body of compressed air or a body of gas be conilned within a ball. However. such a gas or air nlled cavity materially atlected the weight and balance of the ball relative to its size and did not afiordthe necessary solidity and resistance to enable the desired response, nor afford the distance ilight of the ball when struck.

The present intermixture of a liquid and gaseons filling for such game balls not only enables the standard ratio of weight and size to be maintained but it aifords a certain yielding resistance to impact and effective reaction'not afforded by an all gas or compressed air body' and it likewise increases the liveliness and emciency of the liquid nlled balls, andA augments the winding tension by creating increased internal pressure. 'Ihe presence of the body of liquid enables the gas pressure of the associated relatively small body of gas to be more uniformly distributed over a larger area thereby insuring uniformity of tension and resiliency.

While in practice at the present time a small quantity of dry ice or carbon -dioxide gas is -oommon1y employed, it win be understood that not only may other gaseous substances, of a character which will be inert or non-detrimental to the core envelope i may be employed, but also the liquid filling of the core envelope may be of volatile character which will generate or give off an inherent gas at normal temperatures which will serve-the purpose of the introduced gaseous substance intermixedwith a non-volatile liquid before described. Hence it is not the desire nor intention to limit the invention to either the particular gaseous or liquid materials mentioned nor an intermixture thereof, but includes a volatile liquid which willautomatically generate a gas while a considerable portion thereofremains liquid, thereby aii'ordin'g a combined liquid an While in order to complylwith the statute, the

invention has been described in language more or less speciilc asto structural features. it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specinc features shown, but that the means and construction hereindisclosed comprise the preferred form of several modes of putting the invention into effect, and the invention is therefore claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the legitimate and valid scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a golf ball having aliquid core permeated with a gaseous material by the expansion of which increased internal pressure is generated within the ball.

2. 'I'he herein described method of manufacturing golf balls including incorporating a quantity of liquid intermixed with carbon dioxide dryv ice (CO2) into the central core of the ball, wrapping a layer of strip material upon the core and permitting the dry ice" content of the core to subsequently gasify, thereby internally increasing the tension of the wrapped layer of strip material.

3. A game ball having a central chamber, a portion of non-volatile liquid and a portion of initially solid volatile material contained within the central chamber and a layer of strand material wrapped therea'cout.

4. A game ball including a chambered core, a body of `liquid contained within the vcore chamber and means subjecting the liquid contents to fluid pressure additional to' that of the surrounding portion of the ball.

5. A game ballincluding a .chambered core. a

f body of liquid contained within the core chamber, and a gaseous substance incorporated in the body of liquid for subjecting the ball to internal expansive pressure additional to that imposed by 8. The herein described method of manufacturn ing golf balls including the steps of filling the core portion thereof with a liquid. and adding a portion of dry ice to theliquid contents ofthe core to increase the internal pressure ofthe said core portion.

' 9. 'I'he method of making golf balls which includes introducing a quantity of liquid into a core envelope, incorporating in the liquid filling of the core a portion of gas producing material in solid l form, winding a covering layer of strip material -upn the core containing the mixture of aliquid and gas producing material and subsequently permitting the gas producing material to gasify.

l0. A golf ball including-a body of liquid tilling material contained in the core thereof and a portion 0f dry 168'? (COI) added to the liquid contents of the core to increase the internal pressure of the core 'portion anda layer of strand material wound upon the filled core.

1 1. The method of making a ball which inciludes introducingv into a core envelope a quantity of liquid and introducing into such liquid a portion ofcarbon dioxide (CO2,- dry ice") in solid form, and permittinggasiflcation of the carbon dioxide content of the core to create an increased internal pressure by which the wound layer is internally expanded.

emanuela mom. 

